Windamere DamTranquil getaway near Mudgee

Visit the Dam

Facilities

Camping

Children's playground

Picnic areas

Toilets

Fishing

Kiosk

Shower facilities

Boat ramps

Water sports

Bushwalking

Windamere Dam is a popular inland sport and recreation destination near Mudgee, offering year-round attractions for water sports and fishing enthusiasts, nature lovers, bushwalkers, campers and picnickers. It operates in conjunction with Burrendong Dam to supply water for irrigation, stock and household needs in the Cudgegong and Macquarie valleys, as well as providing flood mitigation and environmental flows.

Look out points

Dam wall

Drive over the dam’s spillway to access parking near the dam wall on the lake’s northern foreshore. Walk across the dam wall for views of the lake and Cudgegong Valley. The rock embankment wall is 825 metres long and 67 metres high.

Cudgegong Waters Park

Cudgegong Waters Park is situated on the lake’s southern foreshore, 13 kilometres south of the dam wall. The park offers views of the lake and valley.

Opening hours

Dam grounds

Open 24 hours a day, all year round. Entry is free.

Cudgegong Waters Park

Office is open 9am to 5pm daily. Phone 02 6358 8462. Access to boat ramp is by a coin operated boom gate.

Directions

Windamere Dam is 30 kilometres south-east of Mudgee on the NSW Central Tablelands. The dam is 230 kilometres north-west of Sydney via the Great Western and Castlereagh highways.

Facilities

Camping

Children's playground

Picnic areas

Toilets

Fishing

Kiosk

Shower facilities

Boat ramps

Water sports

Bushwalking

Fishing

Restrictions

Restrictions are in place to protect our water supply and ensure that everyone has an enjoyable and safe visit - with penalties up to $44,000 applying:

No model aircraft or drones

Recreation Areas at WaterNSW dams will be closed on ALL Total Fire Ban days.

The Windamere Experience

Things to see and do

1. Camp

Accommodation options around the lake include cabins, onsite caravans, and powered and unpowered sites. Facilities include a small kiosk, boat ramp, children's playground, and toilet, shower and barbecue facilities.

2. Water sports

The lake is a popular spot for water sports including skiing, jet skis, sailing, canoeing and swimming. A boat ramp is available at Cudgegong Waters Park. Access is by a coin operated boom gate.

3. Fishing

Golden perch (yellow belly) is the top catch. Lake Windamere is also stocked with Murray cod and silver perch, and catfish are found in the lake. Rainbow and brown trout can be found in the Cudgegong River downstream of the dam.

Dam Summary

67

MetresHigh

Length: 825 metres

Size of lake:

20km2

Size of lake

368.12gltotal operating capacity

Catchment: 1,070 square kilometres

Facts & History

Windamere Dam is situated on the Cudgegong River 30 kilometres upstream from Mudgee and 19 kilometres south-west of Rylstone on the NSW Central Tablelands.The dam is about 230 kilometres north-west of Sydney.

The dam’s storage capacity of 368,120 megalitres is more than half the volume of Sydney Harbour.

Windamere Dam is named after a property on which it was built.

Why the dam was built

Windamere Dam was completed in 1984 to meet irrigation, stock and domestic needs in the Cudgegong Valley.

The Cudgegong Valley is renowned for its agricultural production. Water from Windamere Dam is used to irrigate grapes, fruit and vegetables, maize, grains and lucerne.

In addition to irrigated agriculture, the dam supplies water to Mid-Western Regional Council for town supplies, industry and domestic requirements, as well as providing environmental flows, flood mitigation and recreation.

Windamere Dam operates in conjunction with Burrendong Dam to supply downstream water needs in the Macquarie Valley.

How the dam was built

Windamere Dam is a rock-fill embankment with a clay core. The rock wall is 825 metres long and 67 metres high.

An unlined rock cutting spillway is located about one kilometre west of the dam wall. The cutting provided all the rock-fill needed to build the dam wall.

Construction began in 1974 and finished in 1984.

A 55-metre high control tower with variable inlets allows for the control of the quality and temperature of water releases.

Notifications

In consultation with our stakeholders and the community we review and update these notifications.